An Eagle Riders Episode Guide

Hunter prepares to go on his test flight.

X27 Down in the Alps

[G-II #31: The Eagle, Shot Down]

The Vorak have been quiet lately, and the International Science Organization (ISO) is using the time to upgrade the Eagle Riders’ equipment. The Super Hawk has just been outfitted with improved atmospheric re-entry capabilities. Hunter takes off to test out the new modifications. He leaves the atmosphere, entering a low orbit in space, then re-enters smoothly, just as he is supposed to.

But Hunter is enjoying the flight so much that he continues on a joyride after the test is over, doing aerobatic stunts. He flies into foothills of the Swiss Alps. However, Hunter is not being vigilant, and forgets to turn on his security scanners, and so he is completely unprepared when a nearby Vorak base shoots at his plane, forcing him to crash down from the sky. Serves Hunter right. He’s out on his own, tooling around in the Super Hawk in Eagle Mode. This really was lax on his part, and he’s about to pay for it.

The Super Hawk’s landing is witnessed by a small boy named Hans, who races to the scene. Hans sees Hunter drag himself from the plane and fall on the ground. As Hunter falls, he damages his wristlink, causing a de-transmutation. The boy realizes that the man in the number 1 shirt must be an Eagle Rider, and promises to help him. Hunter’s arm and ribs are hurt, and he finds it difficult to move, but Hans helps to hide the Super Hawk so that the Vorak will not find it. While doing this, Hans sees Hunter’s pendant lying on the seat, and decides to ‘borrow’ it for a while. I guess Hans’ natural instincts to help are overridden by a sense of greed.

Hand brings his sister Greta to the site of the crash, and together they take Hunter to an old woodcutter’s cottage, where Greta binds up Hunter’s wounds. Greta blushes when Hunter thanks her, and it is clear that she has a small crush on him. Sorry Greta. If Kelly can’t catch this guy, I don’t think there’s hope for you.

Meanwhile, Mallanox wants to find Hunter and what is left of the plane, so he sends disguised Vorak into the village. The Vorak come across Hans and Greta, and realize that Greta is carrying a man’s shirt. They immediately presume that it must be Hunter’s shirt, because how else could Greta get hold of a man? The Vorak threaten Hans and Greta to get them to disclose Hunter’s location.

Meanwhile, Hunter is frustrated because with his broken wristlink, as he cannot contact his team. However, he discovers a coop of carrier pigeons. He slips a Servo Relay Transmitter from his bracelet inside of one pigeon’s message tubes and sets it free. Of course, Hunter has no idea where the pigeon is headed. Additionally, the range on the transmitter is only a few hundred kilometers, but Hunter hopes that the Global Security Council will pick up the signal anyway.

Back at Gateway City, everyone is worried about Hunter’s disappearance, and they are thrilled to receive the signal, which seems to come through just fine. The team immediately launches the Ultra Eagle to find Hunter.

The Ultra Eagle arrives just in time to see the Vorak androids threatening Hans and Greta, whom they have (in a burst of unbridled creativity) tied to a tree. Mickey notices Hunter’s pendant on the ground, which has fallen from Hans’ pocket. Clearly this makes it extra important that the Eagle Riders help these kids.

Both Hans and Greta refuse to talk, despite the Vorak’s ‘persuasion’. The Ultra Eagle flies over, knocking the androids down. The Eagle Riders leap out of their ship, landing on the ground before destroying the Vorak soldiers.

Hans and Greta lead the Eagle Riders to Hunter’s hiding place. Kelly rushes into Hunter’s arms when she sees that he is alive. But the reunion is short. Everyone boards the Ultra Eagle, destroying the Vorak base with their scatter guns and missiles. They also manage to take out a number of Vorak fighters.

After the base is destroyed, Hunter says a fond farewell to Greta and Hans, and thanks them for hiding him, even at nearly the cost of their own lives. Hunter knows that it was his own negligence that caused this mess, and states that constant vigilance is required, if he is going to defend the Global Good.

Mickey is especially impressed with Hunter's performance.

Hunter falls out of the Super Hawk, after it crash-lands.

Hunter just doesn't know what to do after he returns to civilian mode.

Hunter's wristlink is broken.

Hunter uses a carrier pigeon to communicate with the other Eagle Riders.